~ At Evening~The sun had begun to fade, casting a golden hue across the walls of the house. Inside, Derek stood in front of a tall mirror, nervously adjusting the collar of his crisp black shirt. Behind him, Raymond and Fighter stood side by side, arms crossed, silently admiring the transformation. Neither of them spoke at first. They simply grinned, watching him with a proud, almost paternal warmth.Derek glanced at their reflections, eyes darting from one face to the other. “What? Why are you both so quiet? Say something already—this silence is freaking me out,” he said, tugging at his sleeves.Fighter stepped forward and placed a hand firmly on Derek’s shoulder. “Bruv... trust me, you look mad. Clean. Fresh. Dripping confidence,” he said, gesturing dramatically. “Right, Uncle?”Raymond nodded with a proud smirk, arms still crossed. “You look sharp, son. She’s going to be speechless when she sees you walk up. Trust me.”A smile slowly spread across Derek’s face. He turned to face
“Oh my God…” Fighter muttered, eyes wide with disbelief as he took in the contents of the hidden room Raymond had just revealed. Weapons of all kinds filled the space—sleek modern rifles, rusted but deadly-looking blades, grenades, throwing knives, and even gear that looked like it belonged in a spy film.Raymond picked up a rifle and casually rested it on his shoulder, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips. “I might not be a licensed hunter,” he said smugly, “but I can guarantee I shoot better than half the ones on record.”That drew a chuckle from the boys.“This is insane,” Derek said, slowly shaking his head as he scanned the room.Raymond nodded proudly. “Welcome to my little collection.”“Since when have you had all these?” Fighter asked, still trying to take it all in.Raymond gave him a reminiscent smile. “Since forever. Your dad and I used to come here almost every day before he passed. This place was our haven.”A small, nostalgic smile crept onto Fighter’s face at the m
“…Are you sure about this?” Noah asked, his voice low and laced with disbelief as he looked at Enoch.Enoch gave a dry scoff, shaking his head slowly. “Have I ever lied to you, Noah? I saw him. That night—he was there. He’s the one who killed her, and trust me, he didn’t look confused or accidental about it. He knew exactly what he was doing.”Noah exchanged a heavy glance with Priscilla, who had been silently watching the interaction, her face tight with worry.“But why?” Noah asked, his tone more to himself than anyone else. “What could he possibly gain from killing Reina?”“To frame Derek,” Enoch replied immediately, his tone sharp. “He wanted you to believe Derek was the killer. That way, you’d deal with him yourself. That must’ve been the plan… until you started to doubt things and found out more about Derek.”Noah let out a frustrated breath, rubbing his face with his hand. “So he really does hate that guy...”Enoch gave a slight bow. “You need to act fast. You haven’t been in a
Ashley stood at the front of the house, her heart pounding like a drum in her chest. She glanced at her phone to confirm the address once more, then lifted her eyes to the quiet, slightly worn-down building before her.“This has to be it,” she whispered to herself, trying to sound more confident than she felt.With a long, shaky exhale, she took a step forward, forcing herself to keep moving even as nerves twisted her stomach into knots. No turning back now, she thought. She reached the front door, spotted the small round doorbell, and pressed it gently.She stood there, waiting—still, silent, hopeful. Deep inside, she prayed that she was doing the right thing, that she wasn’t walking into danger or worse—another dead end. All she wanted were answers, anything to stop the storm of questions tearing her apart.But no one answered.Seconds passed. Then minutes. Just when she was about to reach for the bell again, a deep, gravelly voice echoed from somewhere above her.“One more touch an
“Where the hell are you taking us?” Derek snapped, eyes narrowing with suspicion as he and Fighter followed the mysterious man into the dimly lit woods.The man came to a sudden stop and turned slightly over his shoulder. “This was meant to be a conversation between just you and me,” he said, voice cool and calculated. “But I can see you don’t go anywhere without your little shadow. Fine, I’ll say it in front of him.”Derek and Fighter exchanged a puzzled glance.“My name is Noah,” the man said, stepping forward with an air of authority. “And I’m your Alpha.”Derek blinked in disbelief, then threw his head back and laughed bitterly. “You’ve got to be kidding me. What is going on with people these days?” he muttered, glancing at Fighter, who looked just as stunned.Before either of them could say another word, Noah tore his shirt apart with one swift motion. His body contorted and shifted with an inhuman fluidity. In a blink, he vanished—only to reappear inches from Derek’s face, fully
Derek arrived at Ashley’s house to find the group still gathered in the living room. He stepped in with a smile, his presence filling the doorway.“Hey, I’m back,” he announced casually.All heads turned to him.“We can see that,” Ashley replied with a teasing smirk, prompting a round of soft chuckles from the group.“Okay, okay... Who missed me?” Derek asked, grinning as he dropped his bag.Everyone scoffed and rolled their eyes—except Fighter, who remained quiet, just observing them all with his usual stoic expression.“Nobody missed you, bro,” Maggie said playfully. “So bring that ego of yours down a notch and get over here. We’re almost done with the history notes—and trust me, it’s a lot.”Derek walked over and picked up Ashley’s notebook from the table, flipping through the pages.“This? Pfft, not that bulky. I’ll catch up in no time,” he said with confidence.Ashley gently took the book from his hands and gave him a knowing look. “We know you’ve got your super speed or whatever